How to Shut off Windows 10 File Sharing (WUDO)

Microsoft has confirmed it is using customers' Internet connections to distribute Windows 10 to other users. While it doesn't appear to pose a serious security risk, switching off the feature is a bit tricky.

The feature is officially known as Windows Update Delivery Optimization, or "WUDO". It involves putting some downloaded Windows 10 files into a temporary directory area on a users computer; the files are then made available to other computers over the Internet. Microsoft insists no personal files or folders are shared in this way.

The same system will also apply to future updates along with apps in the Windows Store. According to Microsoft, it is designed to "help you get updates and apps more quickly if you have a limited or unreliable Internet connection." (Source: microsoft.com)

That may be true, but the feature also means that because users can get Windows 10 files from multiple sources, there's less direct demand on Microsoft's own servers. In principle that's a sensible and efficient tactic, as having millions of people try to download Windows 10 at the same time creates a huge demand. Putting additional server capacity in place just for this period would not be very cost-effective.

Microsoft Tactic Similar To Torrents

WUDO actually works in a very similar way to peer-to-peer file sharing services such as BitTorrent, which break files into small pieces. Users can then get the pieces from multiple sources and have them recombined on their machines - something that's often more efficient than a direct download.

There's an element of irony to Microsoft using this technique for Windows 10. While peer-to-peer filesharing is undoubtedly widely used for illegally sharing copyrighted files such as movies and music, defenders point out that it has perfectly legitimate use for large files, such as those which make up rival Linux-based operating systems.

The big problem here is that Microsoft has set WUDO to run on many machines by default. That is arguably a terrible idea, as it could mean unexpectedly high data upload usage, which could be a major problem for those who have Internet plans with transfer limits.

Microsoft says it has set the system up to block the feature if it detects users are on metered or capped connections. However, there's no guarantee that this detection will work in all cases.

How to Switch off or Modify the Windows 10 WUDO Service

If you want to switch off the WUDO feature - or modify it so it only shares files on your local network, do the following:

1. Click Start and type in "Advanced Windows Update options" (no quotes) and wait for the item to appear in the menu and click it.
    
2. The "Settings" app will appear. Underneath the two check boxes, click the option called "Choose how updates are delivered"
    
3. A new window will appear with the heading "Updates from more than one place"
    
4. You now have three options:
   
   (a) You can shut off the feature entirely using the on / off slider on the page. We recommend you leave it on, and combine it with the next option, however.
   
   (b) If you leave the option on, you can can set it to share with only "PCs on your network." If you choose this option then you can update other Windows 10 computers in the same home, and it would actually save your bandwidth by not downloading the same updates from the Internet.
   
   (c) Alternatively, you can also set it to share with "PCs on your network and the Internet." If you choose this, then you would be sharing your Internet bandwidth with others. We don't recommend this setting unless you have a very fast Internet connection with a very large upload cap or unlimited usage.

What's Your Opinion?

Should Microsoft have enabled WUDO by default? Is it a sensible system to create faster and more efficient downloads all round? Or does Microsoft not have the right to use your computer to distribute files without getting express permission first?